Uplink channel selection using channel interference tolerance level feedback for grantless data transmission

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the present disclosure provide for a network assisted grantless data transmission method operable in a wireless communication network. A wireless device may transmit grantless data without requesting a scheduling entity to grant and schedule network resources prior to the grantless data transmission. A scheduling entity determines interference tolerance information of a plurality of uplink channels, wherein the interference tolerance information is configured to individually indicate an availability of each of the plurality of uplink channels for grantless uplink data transmission. The scheduling entity broadcasts the interference tolerance information to one or more subordinate entities or wireless devices.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority to and the benefit of provisionalpatent application No. 62/262,108 filed in the United States Patent andTrademark Office on Dec. 2, 2015, the entire content of which isincorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth below in itsentirety and for all applicable purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technology discussed below relates generally to wirelesscommunication systems, and more particularly, to grantless datatransmission in a wireless communication network.

INTRODUCTION

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide varioustelecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging,and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems may employmultiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication withmultiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth,transmit power). Examples of such multiple-access technologies includecode division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multipleaccess (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA)systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems,single-carrier frequency divisional multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems,and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA)systems. These multiple access technologies have been adopted in varioustelecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enablesdifferent wireless devices to communicate on a municipal, national,regional, and even global level.

In a shared resource network, a wireless device transmits data (uplinkdata) to the network using a request-grant method in which the wirelessdevice requests a permission (grant) from the network to transmit data,and a network entity (e.g., a base station, Node B, eNode B, accesspoint, scheduling entity, etc.) decides when and how the wireless devicemay transmit its data using certain network resources (e.g., time andfrequency resources or channels). The overhead (e.g., signaling andpower usage) of the request-grant procedure can be undesirably high whenthe amount of data transmitted is relatively small compared to theoverhead data. The request-grant overhead may be more significant forcertain types or classes of wireless devices that typically transmitsmall amount of data or payload relative to the overhead. Examples ofsuch wireless devices include Internet of Everything (IoE) devices,Internet of Things (IoT) devices, network connected sensors andmonitoring devices, and other small data devices.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects ofthe present disclosure, in order to provide a basic understanding ofsuch aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of allcontemplated features of the disclosure, and is intended neither toidentify key or critical elements of all aspects of the disclosure norto delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the disclosure. Its solepurpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of thedisclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detaileddescription that is presented later.

Aspects of the present disclosure provide for a network assistedgrantless data transmission method operable in a wireless communicationnetwork. A wireless device may transmit grantless data withoutrequesting a scheduling entity to grant and schedule network resourcesprior to the grantless data transmission.

An aspect of the present disclosure provides a method of operating ascheduling entity in a wireless communication network. The methoddetermines interference tolerance information of a plurality of uplinkchannels, wherein the interference tolerance information is configuredto individually indicate an availability of each of the plurality ofuplink channels for grantless uplink data transmission. The methodfurther broadcasts the interference tolerance information to one or moresubordinate entities. The method further receives a grantless uplinkdata transmission from the one or more subordinate entities utilizingone or more of the plurality of uplink channels according to theinterference tolerance information. The interference toleranceinformation is further configured to indicate two or more levels ofdifferent grantless access for each of the plurality of uplink channels.

An aspect of the present disclosure provides a method of operating asubordinate entity in a wireless communication network. The methoddetermines channel qualities of a plurality of uplink channels andcorresponding modulation and coding schemes (MCSs) supportable by thechannel qualities. The method further receives an interference toleranceinformation broadcast from a scheduling entity, wherein the interferencetolerance information is configured to individually indicate anavailability of each of the plurality of uplink channels for grantlessdata transmission. The method further selects an uplink channel amongthe plurality of uplink channels and an MCS among the corresponding MCSsbased on the received interference tolerance information. The methodfurther transmits grantless data utilizing the selected uplink channeland MCS.

An aspect of the present disclosure provides a scheduling entity in awireless communication network. The scheduling entity includes acomputer-readable medium stored with executable code, a communicationinterface configured for wireless communication, and a processoroperatively coupled to the communication interface and computer-readablemedium. The processor is configured by executing the code to determineinterference tolerance information of a plurality of uplink channels,wherein the interference tolerance information is configured toindividually indicate an availability of each of the plurality of uplinkchannels for grantless uplink data transmission. The processor isfurther configured to broadcast the interference tolerance informationto one or more subordinate entities. The processor is further configuredto receive a grantless uplink data transmission from the one or moresubordinate entities utilizing one or more of the plurality of uplinkchannels according to the interference tolerance information.

An aspect of the present disclosure provides a subordinate entity in awireless communication network. The subordinate entity includes acomputer-readable medium stored with executable code, a communicationinterface configured for wireless communication, and a processoroperatively coupled to the communication interface and computer-readablemedium. The processor is configured by executing the code to determinechannel qualities of a plurality of uplink channels and correspondingmodulation and coding schemes (MCSs) supportable by the channelqualities. The processor is further configured to receive aninterference tolerance information broadcast from a scheduling entity,wherein the interference tolerance information is configured toindividually indicate an availability of each of the plurality of uplinkchannels for grantless data transmission. The processor is furtherconfigured to select an uplink channel among the plurality of uplinkchannels and an MCS among the corresponding MCSs based on the receivedinterference tolerance information. The processor is further configuredto transmit grantless data utilizing the selected uplink channel andMCS.

These and other aspects of the invention will become more fullyunderstood upon a review of the detailed description, which follows.Other aspects, features, and embodiments of the present invention willbecome apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, upon reviewingthe following description of specific, exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures. Whilefeatures of the present invention may be discussed relative to certainembodiments and figures below, all embodiments of the present inventioncan include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein.In other words, while one or more embodiments may be discussed as havingcertain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also beused in accordance with the various embodiments of the inventiondiscussed herein. In similar fashion, while exemplary embodiments may bediscussed below as device, system, and/or method embodiments it shouldbe understood that such exemplary embodiments can be implemented invarious devices, systems, and methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an access networkaccording to some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a scheduling entitycommunicating with one or more subordinate entities according to someaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementationfor a scheduling entity employing a processing system according to someaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementationfor a subordinate entity employing a processing system according to someaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary channel format for an uplink (UL) channelaccording to some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a scheduling entitycommunicating with a subordinate entity according to some aspects of thedisclosure.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of grantless UL accessaccording to some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of broadcasting interferencetolerance information to assist grantless data transmission according tosome aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of determining interferencetolerance information based on a network loading according to someaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of uplink network resourcesutilized for grantless data transmission based on interference toleranceinformation according to some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of transmitting grantlessuplink data based on interference tolerance information broadcasted froma scheduling entity according to some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining a channelquality of an uplink channel according to some aspects of thedisclosure.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining amodulation and coding scheme of an uplink channel according to someaspects of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appendeddrawings is intended as a description of various configurations and isnot intended to represent the only configurations in which the conceptsdescribed herein may be practiced. The detailed description includesspecific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understandingof various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that these concepts may be practiced without these specificdetails. In some instances, well known structures and components areshown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts.

Aspects of the present disclosure provide for a network assistedgrantless data transmission method operable in a wireless communicationnetwork. A wireless device may transmit grantless data withoutrequesting a scheduling entity to grant and schedule network resourcesprior to the grantless data transmission. When a wireless devicetransmits data without first requesting a grant of certain networkresources, such data may be called grantless data in this disclosure,and its transmission may be called grantless data transmission. In someaspects of the disclosure, a scheduling entity (e.g., base station,access point, Node B, and/or evolved Node B (eNode B or eNB)) maybroadcast certain network information to assist grantless datatransmission. This disclosure is particularly applicable for certaintypes of small data wireless devices that typically transmit smallamount of data relative to communication overhead. Examples of suchsmall data wireless devices include Internet of Everything (IoE)devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, network connected sensors andmonitoring devices, and/or other small data devices in general. Thevarious aspects of the disclosure will be described and illustrated witha wireless network with features similar to a Long-Term Evolution (LTE)network. However, the concepts of the present disclosure may be appliedto and implemented with other wireless communication networks andsystems. Furthermore, the data transmission methods disclosed in thepresent disclosure may be applied to any wireless devices, not limitedto small data devices.

The various concepts presented throughout this disclosure may beimplemented across a broad variety of telecommunication systems, networkarchitectures, and communication standards. Referring now to FIG. 1, asan illustrative example without limitation, a simplified schematicillustration of an access network 100 is provided.

The geographic region covered by the access network 100 may be dividedinto a number of cellular regions (cells), including macrocells 102,104, and 106, and a small cell 108, each of which may include one ormore sectors. Cells may be defined geographically (e.g., by coveragearea) and/or may be defined in accordance with a frequency, scramblingcode, etc. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectorswithin a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antennaresponsible for communication with mobile devices in a portion of thecell.

In general, a radio transceiver apparatus serves each cell. A radiotransceiver apparatus is commonly referred to as a base station (BS) inmany wireless communication systems, but may also be referred to bythose skilled in the art as a base transceiver station (BTS), a radiobase station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basicservice set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), an access point (AP),a Node B, an eNode B, and/or some other suitable terminology.

In FIG. 1, two high-power base stations 110 and 112 are shown in cells102 and 104; and a third high-power base station 114 is showncontrolling a remote radio head (RRH) 116 in cell 106. In this example,the cells 102, 104, and 106 may be referred to as macrocells, as thehigh-power base stations 110, 112, and 114 support cells having a largesize. Further, a low-power base station 118 is shown in the small cell108 (e.g., a microcell, picocell, femtocell, home base station, homeNode B, home eNode B, etc.) which may overlap with one or moremacrocells. In this example, the cell 108 may be referred to as a smallcell, as the low-power base station 118 supports a cell having arelatively small size. Cell sizing can be done according to systemdesign as well as component constraints. It is to be understood that theaccess network 100 may include any number of wireless base stations andcells. The base stations 110, 112, 114, 118 provide wireless accesspoints to a core network for any number of mobile apparatuses.

FIG. 1 further includes a quadcopter or drone 120, which may beconfigured to function as a base station. That is, in some examples, acell may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area of thecell may move according to the location of a mobile base station such asthe quadcopter 120.

In some examples, the base stations may be interconnected to one anotherand/or to one or more other base stations or network nodes (not shown)in the access network 100 through various types of backhaul interfacessuch as a direct physical connection, a virtual network, and/or the likeusing any suitable transport network.

The access network 100 is illustrated supporting wireless communicationfor multiple mobile apparatuses. A mobile apparatus is commonly referredto as user equipment (UE) in standards and specifications promulgated bythe 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), but may also be referredto by those skilled in the art as a mobile station (MS), a subscriberstation, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remoteunit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communicationsdevice, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal(AT), a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, ahandset, a terminal, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, and/orsome other suitable terminology.

Within the present document, a “mobile” apparatus need not necessarilyhave a capability to move, and may be stationary. Some non-limitingexamples of a mobile apparatus include a mobile, a cellular (cell)phone, a smart phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, alaptop, a personal computer (PC), a notebook, a netbook, a smartbook, atablet, and a personal digital assistant (PDA). A mobile apparatus mayadditionally be an “Internet of things” (IoT) device such as anautomotive or other transportation vehicle, a satellite radio, a globalpositioning system (GPS) device, a logistics controller, a drone, amulti-copter, a quad-copter, a smart energy or security device, a solarpanel or solar array, municipal lighting, water, and/or otherinfrastructure; industrial automation and enterprise devices; consumerand wearable devices, such as eyewear, a wearable camera, a smart watch,a health or fitness tracker, a digital audio player (e.g., MP3 player),a camera, a game console, etc.; and digital home or smart home devicessuch as a home audio, video, and multimedia device, an appliance, asensor, a vending machine, intelligent lighting, a home security system,a smart meter, etc.

Within the access network 100, the cells may include UEs that may be incommunication with one or more sectors of each cell. For example, UEs122 and 124 may be in communication with base station 110; UEs 126 and128 may be in communication with base station 112; UEs 130 and 132 maybe in communication with base station 114 by way of RRH 116; UE 134 maybe in communication with low-power base station 118; and UE 136 may bein communication with mobile base station 120. Here, each base station110, 112, 114, 118, and 120 may be configured to provide an access pointto a core network (not shown) for all the UEs in the respective cells.

In another example, the quadcopter 120 may be configured to function asa UE. For example, the quadcopter 120 may operate within cell 102 bycommunicating with base station 110.

The air interface in the access network 100 may utilize one or moremultiplexing and multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneouscommunication of the various devices. For example, multiple access foruplink (UL) or reverse link transmissions from UEs 122 and 124 to basestation 110 may be provided utilizing time division multiple access(TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency divisionmultiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access(OFDMA), and/or other suitable multiple access schemes. Further,multiplexing downlink (DL) or forward link transmissions from the basestation 110 to UEs 122 and 124 may be provided utilizing time divisionmultiplexing (TDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), frequency divisionmultiplexing (FDM), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM),and/or other suitable multiplexing schemes.

Within the access network 100, during a call with a scheduling entity,and/or at any other time, a UE may monitor various parameters of thesignal from its serving cell as well as various parameters ofneighboring cells. Further, depending on the quality of theseparameters, the UE may maintain communication with one or more of theneighboring cells. During this time, if the UE moves from one cell toanother, or if signal quality from a neighboring cell exceeds that fromthe serving cell for a given amount of time, the UE may undertake ahandoff or handover from the serving cell to the neighboring (target)cell. For example, UE 124 may move from the geographic areacorresponding to its serving cell 102 to the geographic areacorresponding to a neighbor cell 106. When the signal strength orquality from the neighbor cell 106 exceeds that of its serving cell 102for a given amount of time, the UE 124 may transmit a reporting messageto its serving base station 110 indicating this condition. In response,the UE 124 may receive a handover command, and the UE may undergo ahandover to the cell 106.

In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, whereina scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) allocates resources forcommunication among some or all devices and equipment within its servicearea or cell. Within the present disclosure, as discussed further below,the scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, assigning,reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more subordinateentities. That is, for scheduled communication, subordinate entitiesutilize resources allocated by the scheduling entity. For example, theresources may include time and frequency resources. In one specificexample, the resources may include a plurality of uplink channels orcarriers.

Base stations are not the only entities that may function as ascheduling entity. That is, in some examples, a UE may function as ascheduling entity, scheduling resources for one or more subordinateentities (e.g., one or more other UEs). For example, UE 138 isillustrated communicating with UEs 140 and 142. In this example, the UE138 is functioning as a scheduling entity, and UEs 140 and 142 utilizeresources scheduled by the UE 138 for wireless communication. A UE mayfunction as a scheduling entity in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, and/orin a mesh network. In a mesh network example, UEs 140 and 142 mayoptionally communicate directly with one another in addition tocommunicating with the scheduling entity 138.

Thus, in a wireless communication network with a scheduled access totime-frequency resources and having a cellular configuration, a P2Pconfiguration, and a mesh configuration, a scheduling entity and one ormore subordinate entities may communicate utilizing the scheduledresources. Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram illustrates ascheduling entity 202 and a plurality of subordinate entities 204. Here,the scheduling entity 202 may correspond to the base stations 110, 112,114, and 118. In additional examples, the scheduling entity 202 maycorrespond to the UE 138, the quadcopter 120, and/or any other suitablenode in the access network 100. Similarly, in various examples, thesubordinate entity 204 may correspond to the UE 122, 124, 126, 128, 130,132, 134, 136, 138, 140, and 142, and/or any other suitable node in theaccess network 100.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the scheduling entity 202 may broadcast data206 to one or more subordinate entities 204 (the data may be referred toas downlink data). In accordance with certain aspects of the presentdisclosure, the term downlink may refer to a point-to-multipointtransmission originating at the scheduling entity 202. Broadly, thescheduling entity 202 is a node or device responsible for schedulingtraffic in a wireless communication network, including the downlinktransmissions and, in some examples, uplink data 210 from one or moresubordinate entities to the scheduling entity 202. Another way todescribe the system may be to use the term broadcast channelmultiplexing. In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, theterm uplink may refer to a point-to-point transmission originating at asubordinate entity 204. Broadly, the subordinate entity 204 is a node ordevice that receives scheduling control information, including but notlimited to scheduling grants, synchronization or timing information,and/or other control information from another entity in the wirelesscommunication network such as the scheduling entity 202.

The scheduling entity 202 may broadcast a control channel 208 to one ormore subordinate entities 204. In some examples, the scheduling entity202 may broadcast interference tolerance information to the subordinateentities 204 as described in relation to FIGS. 7-13. Uplink data 210and/or downlink data 206 may be transmitted using a transmission timeinterval (TTI). Here, a TTI may correspond to an encapsulated set orpacket of information capable of being independently decoded. In variousexamples, TTIs may correspond to frames, subframes, data blocks, timeslots, and/or other suitable groupings of bits for transmission.

Furthermore, the subordinate entities 204 may transmit uplink controlinformation 212 to the scheduling entity 202. Uplink control informationmay include a variety of packet types and categories, including pilots,reference signals, and information configured to enable or assist indecoding uplink data transmissions. In some examples, the controlinformation 212 may include a scheduling request (SR), i.e., request forthe scheduling entity 202 to schedule uplink transmissions. Here, inresponse to the SR transmitted on the control channel 212, thescheduling entity 202 may transmit in the downlink control channel 208information that may schedule the TTI for uplink packets. In a furtherexample, the uplink control channel 212 may include hybrid automaticrepeat request (HARQ) feedback transmissions, such as an acknowledgment(ACK) or negative acknowledgment (NACK). HARQ is a technique well-knownto those of ordinary skill in the art, wherein packet transmissions maybe checked at the receiving side for accuracy, and if confirmed, an ACKmay be transmitted, whereas if not confirmed, a NACK may be transmitted.In response to a NACK, the transmitting device may send a HARQretransmission, which may implement chase combining, incrementalredundancy, etc.

The channels illustrated in FIG. 2 are not necessarily all of thechannels that may be utilized between a scheduling entity 202 andsubordinate entities 204, and those of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that other channels may be utilized in addition to thoseillustrated, such as other data, control, and feedback channels.

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an example of ahardware implementation for a scheduling entity 300 employing aprocessing system 314. For example, the scheduling entity 300 may be ascheduling entity as illustrated in any one or more of FIGS. 1, 2, 6,and/or 7. The scheduling entity 300 may be implemented with a processingsystem 314 that includes one or more processors 304. Examples ofprocessors 304 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signalprocessors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmablelogic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardwarecircuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the variousfunctionality described throughout this disclosure.

In various examples, the scheduling entity 300 may be configured toperform any one or more of the functions described herein. For example,the processor 304, as utilized in a scheduling entity 300, may be usedto implement any one or more of the processes described below andillustrated in FIGS. 8-10.

In this example, the processing system 314 may be implemented with a busarchitecture, represented generally by the bus 302. The bus 302 mayinclude any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on thespecific application of the processing system 314 and the overall designconstraints. The bus 302 communicatively couples together variouscircuits including one or more processors (represented generally by theprocessor 304), a memory 305, and computer-readable media (representedgenerally by the computer-readable medium 306). The bus 302 may alsolink various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltageregulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in theart, and therefore, will not be described any further. A bus interface308 provides an interface between the bus 302 and a transceiver 310. Thetransceiver 310 provides a communication interface or means forcommunicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium.For example, the transceiver 310 may include one or more transmittersand receivers. Depending upon the nature of the apparatus, a userinterface 312 (e.g., keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick,camera, touchscreen, touchpad, gesture sensors) may also be provided.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 304 may include variousblocks, components, and/or circuitry that can be configured for variousfunctions, including, for example, the functions, procedures, andprocesses described in connection with FIGS. 8-10. For example, theprocessor 304 may include an interference tolerance information block340 and a grantless data block 342. The interference toleranceinformation block 340 may be configured to determine and broadcastinterference tolerance information utilizing the transceiver 310 asdescribed throughout the present disclosure, for example, in relation toFIGS. 8-10. The grantless data block 342 may be configured to performvarious functions related to grantless data, for example, receiving ULgrantless data from a plurality of subordinate entities utilizing thetransceiver 310.

The processor 304 is responsible for managing the bus 302 and generalprocessing, including the execution of software stored on thecomputer-readable medium 306. The software, when executed by theprocessor 304, causes the processing system 314 to perform the variousfunctions described below for any particular apparatus. Thecomputer-readable medium 306 and the memory 305 may also be used forstoring data that is manipulated by the processor 304 when executingsoftware.

One or more processors 304 in the processing system may executesoftware. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions,instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs,subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications,software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threadsof execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to assoftware, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware descriptionlanguage, or otherwise. The software may reside on a computer-readablemedium 306. The computer-readable medium 306 may be a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumincludes, by way of example, a magnetic storage device (e.g., hard disk,floppy disk, magnetic strip), an optical disk (e.g., a compact disc (CD)or a digital versatile disc (DVD)), a smart card, a flash memory device(e.g., a card, a stick, or a key drive), a random access memory (RAM), aread only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM(EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), a register, a removabledisk, and any other suitable medium for storing software and/orinstructions that may be accessed and read by a computer. Thecomputer-readable medium may also include, by way of example, a carrierwave, a transmission line, and any other suitable medium fortransmitting software and/or instructions that may be accessed and readby a computer. The computer-readable medium 306 may reside in theprocessing system 314, external to the processing system 314, ordistributed across multiple entities including the processing system314. The computer-readable medium 306 may be embodied in a computerprogram product. By way of example, a computer program product mayinclude a computer-readable medium in packaging materials. Those skilledin the art will recognize how best to implement the describedfunctionality presented throughout this disclosure depending on theparticular application and the overall design constraints imposed on theoverall system.

In one or more examples, the computer-readable storage medium 306 mayinclude software or code configured for various functions, including,for example, grantless data transmission as described in relation toFIGS. 8-10. For example, the software or code may include interferencetolerance information instructions 352 and grantless data instructions354. The interference tolerance information instructions 352 mayconfigure the processor 304 to determine and broadcast interferencetolerance information as described throughout the present disclosure,for example, in relation to FIGS. 8-10. The grantless data instructions354 may configure the processor 304 to perform various functions relatedto grantless data, for example, receiving grantless UL data from aplurality of subordinate entities.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareimplementation for an exemplary subordinate entity 400 employing aprocessing system 414. In accordance with various aspects of thedisclosure, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combinationof elements may be implemented with a processing system 414 thatincludes one or more processors 404. For example, the subordinate entity400 may be a subordinate entity as illustrated in any one or more ofFIGS. 1, 2, 6, and/or 7.

The processing system 414 may be substantially the same as theprocessing system 314 illustrated in FIG. 3, including a bus interface408, a bus 402, memory 405, a processor 404, and a computer-readablemedium 406. Furthermore, the subordinate entity 400 may include a userinterface 412 and a transceiver 410 substantially similar to thosedescribed above in FIG. 3. That is, the processor 404, as utilized in asubordinate entity 400, may be used to implement any one or more of theprocesses described throughout the disclosure.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 404 may include variousblocks, components, and/or circuitry that can be configured to implementone or more of the functions described in relation to FIGS. 11-13,including, e.g., a channel quality/modulating and coding scheme (MCS)block 440 and an interference tolerance information block 442. Thechannel quality/MCS block 440 may be configured to determine the channelqualities of a plurality of UL channels and corresponding MCS(s) thatcan be supported by the channels.

The interference tolerance information block 442 may be configured toreceive an interference tolerance information broadcast from ascheduling entity, utilizing the transceiver 410. The interferencetolerance information individually indicates the availability of eachone of the uplink channels for grantless data transmission. Then, thesubordinate entity can select an uplink channel among the uplinkchannels and an MCS based on the interference tolerance information. Thesubordinate entity 400 may utilize the processor 404 and transceiver 410to transmit grantless data utilizing the selected uplink channel andMCS.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the software may include executablecode that causes the processor 404 to perform various grantless datatransmission functions described in relation to FIGS. 11-13. Forexample, the software may include Channel Quality/MCS instructions 452that configure the processor 404 to determine channel quality of one ormore uplink channels and corresponding MCSs for the channels. In someaspects of the disclosure, the software may include interferencetolerance information instructions 454 that configure the processor 404to receive an interference tolerance information broadcast from ascheduling entity. The software may further include instructions thatconfigure the processor 404 to select an uplink channel and an MCS basedon the interference tolerance information. The software may furtherinclude instructions that configure the processor 404 to transmitgrantless data utilizing the selected uplink channel and MCS.

Various frame structures may be used to support DL and UL transmissionsincluding grantless access between a scheduling entity and subordinateentities. However, as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate,the frame structure for any particular application may be differentdepending on any number of factors. In one example, a frame, which maybe a 10 ms frame or any suitable duration, may be divided into 10equally sized sub-frames. Each sub-frame may include two consecutivetime slots. A resource grid may be used to represent two time slots,each time slot including a resource block. The resource grid is dividedinto multiple resource elements. The number of bits carried by eachresource element may depend on the MCS. Thus, the more resource blocksthat a subordinate entity receives and the higher the MCS, the higherthe data rate for the subordinate entity.

An example of a UL frame structure 500 will now be presented withreference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 shows an exemplary format for the UL withfeatures similar to that implemented in an LTE UL. Each resource blockoccupies certain time (horizontal axis in FIG. 5) and frequency(vertical axis in FIG. 5) resources. The frequency resources may bearranged as a number of subcarriers or channels. The available resourceblocks for the UL may be partitioned into one or more data sections andcontrol sections. The control section may be formed at the two edges ofthe system bandwidth and may have a configurable size. The resourceblocks in the control section may be assigned to UEs for transmission ofcontrol information. The data section may include all resource blocksnot included in the control section. The design in FIG. 5 results in thedata section including contiguous subcarriers or channels, which mayallow a single UE or subordinate entity to be assigned all of thecontiguous subcarriers in the data section.

A subordinate entity (e.g., a UE) may be assigned resource blocks 510 a,510 b in the control section to transmit control information to ascheduling entity (e.g., an eNB). The UE may also be assigned resourceblocks 520 a, 520 b in the data section to transmit data to the eNB orscheduling entity. The UE may transmit control information in a physicaluplink control channel (PUCCH) on the assigned resource blocks in thecontrol section. The UE may transmit only data or both data and controlinformation in a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) on the assignedresource blocks in the data section. An UL transmission may span bothslots (slot 0 and slot 1) of a subframe and may hop across frequency asshown in FIG. 5. In some aspects of the disclosure, a scheduling entitymay broadcast interference tolerance information of the resource blocksthat may assist the UEs or subordinate entities to determine which ofthe resource blocks may be used for grantless access.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a scheduling entity 610 in communicationwith a subordinate entity 650 in an access network. In one example, thescheduling entity 610 may be the same as the scheduling entity 300 ofFIG. 3 or an eNB, and the subordinate entity 650 may be the same as thesubordinate entity 400 of FIG. 4 or an UE. In the DL, upper layerpackets from a core network (e.g., a 3GPP Evolved Packet Code) areprovided to a controller/processor 675. The controller/processor 675implements the functionality of the L2 layer. In the DL, thecontroller/processor 675 provides header compression, ciphering, packetsegmentation and reordering, multiplexing between logical and transportchannels, and radio resource allocations to the subordinate entity 650based on various priority metrics. The controller/processor 675 is alsoresponsible for HARQ operations, retransmission of lost packets, andsignaling to the subordinate entity 650. In some aspects of thedisclosure, the controller/processor 675 may implement the functions ofgrantless UL access as described in relation to FIGS. 8-10, for example,broadcasting interference tolerance information for assisting grantlessUL access.

The TX processor 616 implements various signal processing functions forthe L1 layer (i.e., physical layer). The signal processing functionsincludes coding and interleaving to facilitate forward error correction(FEC) at the subordinate entity 650 and mapping to signal constellationsbased on various MCSs (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK),quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK),M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulatedsymbols are then split into parallel streams. Each stream is then mappedto an OFDM subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot)in the time and/or frequency domain, and then combined together using anInverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channelcarrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatiallyprecoded to produce multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from achannel estimator 674 may be used to determine the MCS, as well as forspatial processing. The channel estimate may be derived from a referencesignal and/or channel condition feedback transmitted by the subordinateentity 650. Each spatial stream is then provided to a different antenna620 via a separate transmitter 618TX. Each transmitter 618TX modulatesan RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

At the subordinate entity 650, each receiver 654RX receives a signalthrough its respective antenna 652. Each receiver 654RX recoversinformation modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information tothe receiver (RX) processor 656.

The RX processor 656 implements various signal processing functions ofthe L1 layer. The RX processor 656 performs spatial processing on theinformation to recover any spatial streams destined for the subordinateentity 650. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the subordinateentity 650, they may be combined by the RX processor 656 into a singleOFDM symbol stream. The RX processor 656 then converts the OFDM symbolstream from the time-domain to the frequency domain using a Fast FourierTransform (FFT). The frequency domain signal comprises a separate OFDMsymbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols oneach subcarrier, and the reference signal, is recovered and demodulatedby determining the most likely signal constellation points transmittedby the scheduling entity 610. These soft decisions may be based onchannel estimates computed by the channel estimator 658. The softdecisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data andcontrol signals that were originally transmitted by the schedulingentity 610 on the physical channel. The data and control signals arethen provided to the controller/processor 659.

The controller/processor 659 implements the L2 layer. In the UL, thecontrol/processor 659 provides demultiplexing between transport andlogical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression,control signal processing to recover upper layer packets from the corenetwork. The upper layer packets are then provided to a data sink 662,which represents all the protocol layers above the L2 layer. Variouscontrol signals may also be provided to the data sink 662 for L3processing. The controller/processor 659 is also responsible for errordetection using an acknowledgement (ACK) and/or negative acknowledgement(NACK) protocol to support HARQ operations.

In the UL, a data source 667 is used to provide upper layer packets tothe controller/processor 659. The data source 667 represents allprotocol layers above the L2 layer (L2). Similar to the functionalitydescribed in connection with the DL transmission by the schedulingentity 610, the controller/processor 659 implements the L2 layer for theuser plane and the control plane by providing header compression,ciphering, packet segmentation and reordering, and multiplexing betweenlogical and transport channels based on radio resource allocations bythe scheduling entity 610. The controller/processor 659 is alsoresponsible for HARQ operations, retransmission of lost packets, andsignaling to the scheduling entity 610. In some aspects of thedisclosure, the controller/processor 659 may implement the functions ofgrantless UL access as described in relation to FIGS. 11-13, forexample, determining/selecting UL resources for grantless access basedon interference tolerance information broadcasted by the schedulingentity 610.

Channel estimates derived by a channel estimator 658 from a referencesignal or feedback transmitted by the scheduling entity 610 may be usedby the TX processor 668 to select the appropriate MCSs, and tofacilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the TXprocessor 668 are provided to different antenna 652 via separatetransmitters 654TX. Each transmitter 654TX modulates an RF carrier witha respective spatial stream for transmission.

The UL transmission is processed at the scheduling entity 610 in amanner similar to that described in connection with the receiverfunction at the subordinate entity 650. Each receiver 618RX receives asignal through its respective antenna 620. Each receiver 618RX recoversinformation modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information toa RX processor 670. The RX processor 670 implements the L1 layer.

The controller/processor 675 implements the L2 layer. In the UL, thecontrol/processor 675 provides demultiplexing between transport andlogical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression,control signal processing to recover upper layer packets from thesubordinate entity 650. Upper layer packets from thecontroller/processor 675 may be provided to the core network. Thecontroller/processor 675 is also responsible for error detection usingan ACK and/or NACK protocol to support HARQ operations.

In a wireless communication network (e.g., access network 100 of FIG.1), when a subordinate entity or UE (e.g., a subordinate entity 204)needs to transmit data (e.g., uplink data), it may send a schedulingrequest to a scheduling entity (e.g., a scheduling entity 202) or basestation (e.g., network). Upon receiving the request, the schedulingentity may send a grant signal (e.g., an uplink grant) on a downlinkchannel (e.g., a DL control channel) to the subordinate entity. Thesubordinate entity receives and decodes the grant signal to determinethe resources (e.g., time and/or frequency resources) that may beutilized to transmit uplink data. Such network scheduled uplink datatransmission may be called nominal transmissions or request-grant basedtransmissions in this disclosure.

Some classes of wireless devices or subordinate entities may be calledsmall data devices, which typically transmit a relatively small amountof data in a wireless network (e.g., access network 100 of FIG. 1). Somenon-limiting examples of small data devices include smartmeters/sensors, environmental monitoring sensors, and. IoT/IoE devices.Such small data devices are often battery-powered and resource-limited.Because the request-grant based transmission method involves a ratherlengthy signaling procedure to establish the radio link connection withthe network before the wireless device can transmit data, the batterylife of the wireless device can be depleted relatively quickly. In somecircumstances, it may be more energy-efficient to utilize grantlesstransmission in which a wireless device can start uplink transmissionwithout requesting a network to assign, schedule, and/or grantresources.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of grantless UL access inaccordance with some aspects of the disclosure. A subordinate entity 702may utilize network resources (e.g., frequency, time, and/or channels)without network scheduling and/or allocation of the resources by ascheduling entity 704. For example, the subordinate entity 702 maychoose an MCS based on certain simple open-loop power control schemes.However, unless the network or scheduling entity 704 reserves resourcessuch as band(s), carriers, and/or channels dedicated to the subordinateentity 702, its grantless transmission 707 can potentially interferewith nominal transmissions 708 from other subordinate entities 706. Inparticular, when a subordinate entity 702 is close to a schedulingentity 704, a grantless transmission from the subordinate entity 702merely relying on open-loop power control may cause severe interferenceto other scheduled transmissions or nominal transmissions. In someaspects of the disclosure, the scheduling entity 704 may broadcastinterference tolerance information 710 to assist the subordinate entity702 in selecting network resources for grantless uplink transmission.

According to aspects of the present disclosure, a scheduling entity 704(e.g., a base station or eNB) can assist the subordinate entity/entities702 (e.g., UE(s)) in selecting the network resources for grantlesstransmission based on the current network loading or interferencetolerance level. Therefore, a grantless transmission may share thespectrum or network resources with nominal transmissions in a moreeffective way and cause relatively less interference to each other. Inone example, the spectrum or bandwidth of the network can be dividedinto multiple channels or carriers. In one example, an 80-megahertz(MHz) spectrum may be divided into 16 channels of 5 MHz. The schedulingentity 704 may broadcast the interference tolerance level of eachchannel to facilitate grantless transmissions.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method 800 of broadcastinginterference tolerance information to assist grantless data transmissionin accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. This method 800 may beperformed by a scheduling entity illustrated in any of FIGS. 1-3, 6, and7, and/or any other wireless device. At block 802, a scheduling entitydetermines interference tolerance information of a plurality of networkresources. For examples, the network resources may be a plurality ofuplink channels illustrated in FIG. 5. The interference toleranceinformation is configured to individually indicate an availability ofeach of the uplink channels for grantless uplink data transmission. Thatis, the availability of each uplink channel for a certain level ofgrantless access is individually or separately indicated by theinterference tolerance information.

In one aspect of the disclosure, the scheduling entity broadcasts theinterference tolerance information for each uplink channel or carrier toassist a subordinate entity to select an uplink channel for grantlessuplink transmission. The scheduling entity can balance the spectrumloading and control interference level by broadcasting this interferencetolerance information to the subordinate entities.

In one aspect of the disclosure, the interference tolerance informationmay specify the interference tolerance level of each uplink channelseparately or individually. For example, referring to FIG. 9, thescheduling entity may determine the interference tolerance informationfor each channel based on the network loading. At block 902, thescheduling entity determines the loading of each uplink channel. Forexample, the uplink channels may include one or more PUSCHs and PUCCHsas illustrated in FIG. 5. The loading of a channel may be determinedbased on the amount of resources of the channel allocated for nominal orscheduled uplink transmissions. The higher the loading, the more of theresources are allocated for nominal uplink transmission. The loading maybe determined per subframe, time slot, TTI, and/or any suitable timeduration(s).

The scheduling entity may determine two, three, or more levels ofinterference tolerance information for each uplink channel. In onespecific example, there may be three levels for each channel: Level 1(no grantless access allowed); Level 2 (limited grantless accessallowed, but with a certain constraint, for example, an MCS limit); andLevel 3 (grantless access allowed with no constraint). Level 1 may beused when a large number of nominal users/data are scheduled on thechannel. Level 3 may be used when no nominal user/data scheduled isscheduled on the channel.

At decision block 904, the scheduling entity determines whether theloading of each channel is greater than a first predetermined threshold.If the loading of a channel is greater than the first predeterminedthreshold, the interference tolerance information for this channel isset to indicate no grantless access, as illustrated in block 906. Insome examples, the first predetermined threshold may have differentvalues for different channels such that the amount of grantless data maybe biased to/from certain channels.

At decision block 908, the scheduling entity determines whether theloading of each channel is less than (or equal to) the first decisionthreshold and greater than a second threshold. In FIG. 9, the firstpredetermined threshold is greater than the second threshold. Based onthe loading, the interference tolerance information for this channel isset to indicate grantless access with a constraint, as illustrated inblock 910, or grantless access without constraint, as illustrated inblock 912 (i.e., loading is less than the second threshold). In someexamples, the second threshold may be set to different values fordifferent channels.

For the channel set to grantless access with a constraint, the grantlesstransmission may be limited to a certain coding rate and/or modulation.For example, a relatively lower coding rate and/or a relatively lowerorder modulation may achieve relatively more reliable grantlesstransmission when the channel is also used for scheduled or nominaltransmissions. Within the scope of the present disclosure, othersuitable constraints may be placed on grantless transmissions, inaddition to or in the alternative to limitations on the MCS. Forexample, other constraints may be uplink power limit, payload size, datarate, reliability, latency, etc.

Referring back to FIG. 8, at block 804, the scheduling entity broadcaststhe interference tolerance information to one or more subordinateentities or wireless devices. The scheduling entity may broadcast theinterference tolerance information at any suitable intervals, rates,and/or frequencies. In one aspect of the disclosure, the interferencetolerance information may be broadcasted at a frequency and/or ratebased on a dynamic loading of the communication network and/or channels.For example, the interference tolerance information may be broadcastedat a relatively higher rate (e.g., relatively more frequently) when morenominal traffic is scheduled for the uplink channels, and at arelatively lower rate (e.g., relatively less frequently) when lessnominal traffic is scheduled for the uplink channels.

In one example, the interference tolerance information may bebroadcasted in every predetermined number of subframes (e.g., one ormore subframes) in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) or anysuitable channel, as long as there are nominal uplink data transmissionsscheduled. The configuration of the PDCCH carrying this broadcastinformation may be included in one or more System Information Blocks(SIBs) transmitted to the subordinate entity. The SIBs may carryrelevant information that helps the subordinate entity to access(including grantless access) a network or cell and performre-selections. In general, the interference tolerance information isupdated more often than the SIBs of a small data device. For example, asmall data device SIB may be updated less frequently (e.g., once perday) and can be used for the general network setting for a grantlessaccess configuration, such as MCS and pool of shared resources, etc. Atblock 806, the scheduling entity receives a grantless data transmissionfrom the one or more subordinate entities utilizing the uplink networkresources according to the interference tolerance information.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of uplink network resourcesutilized for grantless data transmissions based on interferencetolerance information in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. Inthis example, the uplink network resources include frequency resources(as shown in the vertical axis of FIG. 10) and time resources (as shownin the horizontal axis in FIG. 10). In FIG. 10, the resource elements1000 are arranged in a resource grid, and each resource elementcorresponds to a particular combination of time and frequency resourcesthat may be utilized for data transmission. In this example, theresource elements of FIG. 10 may be allocated or assigned to differentlevels of grantless access.

For resource elements (e.g., rows of resource elements 1004) that allowno grantless access, a subordinate entity may utilize any of theseresource elements 1004 to transmit scheduled data or nominal data. Forresource elements (e.g., rows of resource elements 1006) that allowgrantless access with no constraint, a subordinate entity may utilizeany of these resource elements 1006 to transmit grantless data withoutconsidering nominal data loading on the same resource elements. That is,subordinate entities may utilize these resource elements 1000 totransmit grantless data and nominal data. For resource elements (rows ofresource elements 1008) that allow grantless access with constraints, asubordinate entity may utilize these resource elements 1008 to transmitgrantless data when they are not used for nominal or scheduled datatransmission. In some examples, the grantless data may be limited tocertain modulation and coding schemes.

FIG. 10 illustrates one non-limiting example of a grantless datatransmission scheme based on network-provided interference toleranceinformation for individual channels. In other aspects of the disclosure,the resource elements 1000 may be classified by other methods to providemultiple levels (2 or more) of grantless data access per channel orresource element. Moreover, the classification of the resource elements1000 may be dynamic. For example, the grantless data access level of aresource element 1000 may change depending on the loading of the networkand/or channels.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1100 of transmittinggrantless uplink data based on interference tolerance informationbroadcasted from a scheduling entity in accordance with an aspect of thedisclosure. This method 1100 may be performed by a subordinate entityillustrated in any of FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 6, and/or 7, and/or any otherwireless device. In one example, the subordinate entity may be a smalldata device such as an IoT/IoE device or sensor.

At block 1102, the subordinate entity determines respective channelqualities of a plurality of uplink channels and corresponding modulationand coding schemes that can be supported by the channel qualities. Asupportable MCS is an MCS that can achieve a certain desired uplink datarate for a certain channel quality. That is, the modulation and codingscheme used for a certain grantless uplink transmission depends on thechannel quality. Some examples of modulations are BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, and64QAM. Some coding examples are 2 bits/symbol, 4 bits/symbol, 6bits/symbol, and 8 bits/symbol.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1200 for determining achannel quality of an uplink channel in accordance with an aspect of thedisclosure. This method 1200 may be performed by a subordinate entityillustrated in any of FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 6, and/or 7, and/or any otherwireless device. At block 1202, the subordinate entity may estimate apathloss of a downlink channel using any known methods. At block 1204,the subordinate entity converts the downlink pathloss to an uplinkpathloss. For example, the conversion may be based on an empiricalformula. In one example, the downlink pathloss may be scaled by asuitable scaling factor (e.g., 0.8) to obtain the uplink pathloss. Atblock 1206, the subordinate entity may determine a channel quality ofthe uplink channel based on the determined uplink pathloss.

In some examples, the uplink channel quality may be the same as thedownlink channel quality, for example, in time division duplex (TDD)networks due to channel reciprocity.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1300 for determining an MCSof an uplink channel in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure.This method 1300 may be performed by a subordinate entity illustrated inany of FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 6, and/or 7, and/or any other wireless device, forexample, at block 1102 of FIG. 11.

At block 1302, the subordinate entity determines a channel quality of anUL channel, for example, using the method 1200 described above withreference to FIG. 12. For example, the channel quality may be determinedbased on the pathloss of the channel. At block 1304, the subordinateentity determines the supportable MCS(s) based on the UL channel qualityfor a certain data rate. Some examples of modulations are BPSK, QPSK,16QAM, and 64QAM. Some coding examples are 2 bits/symbol, 4 bits/symbol,6 bits/symbol, and 8 bits/symbol.

Referring back to FIG. 11, at block 1104, the subordinate entityreceives an interference tolerance information broadcast from ascheduling entity as illustrated in any of FIGS. 1-3, 6, and/or 7. Theinterference tolerance information is configured to individuallyindicate availability of one or more uplink channels for grantless datatransmission. In one example, the interference tolerance information mayindicate multiple levels of grantless access per channel as described inrelation of FIGS. 8-10. That is, for each channel or carrier, theinterference tolerance information indicates a certain level ofgrantless access. In one aspect of the disclosure, the interferencetolerance information may indicate that a certain channel may be usedfor grantless uplink access with no constraint, grantless uplink accesswith constraints, or no grantless access. For example, the constraintsmay indicate an MCS limit for one or more uplink channels.

At block 1106, the subordinate entity selects an uplink channel amongthe one or more uplink channels and an MCS based on the interferencetolerance information. For example, the uplink channels may be one ofthose illustrated in FIG. 10 that may be used for grantless uplinkaccess (e.g., grantless with no constraint or grantless access withconstraints). In one particular example, the subordinate entity mayselect one or more resource elements or channels in FIG. 10 to transmitgrantless uplink data. The selected MCS may be one of those supportableMCSs determined in block 1102.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the subordinate entity may notreceive the interference tolerance information broadcast. For example,the scheduling entity (or network) may not be broadcasting interferencetolerance information at the time the subordinate entity wakes up toreceive such broadcast. In other examples, the subordinate entity mayintentionally skip or forgo receiving the interference toleranceinformation broadcast for various reasons such as power saving. In thiscase, the subordinate entity may transmit grantless data based on apredetermined procedure or constraints. In one specific example, thesubordinate entity may use any uplink channel to transmit grantless datawith a predetermined MCS (e.g., a lowest MCS allowed for the uplinkchannel) when the broadcast information has not received.

At block 1108, the subordinate entity transmits grantless data utilizingthe selected uplink channel and MCS. In one example, the subordinateentity may randomly select from the available channels and the MCS to beused based on the interference tolerance information broadcast. Theabove-described grantless transmission method 1100 enables a subordinateentity (e.g., a small data device, IoE device, and/or IoT device) totransmit small data as grantless transmissions without requesting for agrant of scheduled/dedicated uplink resources to achieve improved energyefficiency.

It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in theprocesses disclosed is an illustration of exemplary approaches. Basedupon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order orhierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged. The accompanyingmethod claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order,and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchypresented.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the various aspects described herein. Variousmodifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied toother aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to theaspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistentwith the language claims, wherein reference to an element in thesingular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specificallyso stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically statedotherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. All structural andfunctional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects describedthroughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known tothose of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein byreference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover,nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the publicregardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in theclaims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35U.S.C. §112(f), unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase“means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recitedusing the phrase “step for.”

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of operating a scheduling entity in awireless communication network, the method comprising: determininginterference tolerance information of a plurality of uplink channels,wherein the interference tolerance information is configured toindividually indicate an availability of each of the plurality of uplinkchannels for grantless uplink data transmission; broadcasting theinterference tolerance information to one or more subordinate entities;and receiving a grantless uplink data transmission from the one or moresubordinate entities utilizing one or more of the plurality of uplinkchannels according to the interference tolerance information.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the interference tolerance information isfurther configured to indicate two or more levels of different grantlessaccess for each of the plurality of uplink channels.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the two or more levels of different grantless accesscomprise: a first level indicating grantless access not allowed; asecond level indicating grantless access allowed with a constraint; anda third level indicating grantless access allowed without constraint. 4.The method of claim 3, wherein the constraint comprises a modulation andcoding scheme (MCS) limit for transmitting data through the plurality ofuplink channels.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcastingcomprises broadcasting the interference tolerance information once ormore for a predetermined number of subframes of a control channel. 6.The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcasting comprises broadcastingthe interference tolerance information at a rate based on a loading ofthe plurality of uplink channels.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thebroadcasting comprises broadcasting the interference toleranceinformation in a downlink control channel.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein the determining interference tolerance information comprises:determining a loading of a channel of the plurality of uplink channels;if the loading is greater than a first threshold, setting theinterference tolerance information of the channel to indicate nograntless access; if the loading is less than the first threshold andgreater than a second threshold, setting the interference toleranceinformation of the channel to indicate grantless access with aconstraint; and if the loading is less than the second threshold,setting the interference tolerance information of the channel toindicate grantless access without constraint.
 9. A method of operating asubordinate entity in a wireless communication network, the methodcomprising: determining channel qualities of a plurality of uplinkchannels and corresponding modulation and coding schemes (MCSs)supportable by the channel qualities; receiving an interferencetolerance information broadcast from a scheduling entity, wherein theinterference tolerance information is configured to individuallyindicate an availability of each of the plurality of uplink channels forgrantless data transmission; selecting an uplink channel among theplurality of uplink channels and an MCS among the corresponding MCSsbased on the received interference tolerance information; andtransmitting grantless data utilizing the selected uplink channel andMCS.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the interference toleranceinformation is further configured to indicate two or more levels ofdifferent grantless access for each of the plurality of uplink channels.11. The method of claim 10, wherein the two or more levels of differentgrantless access comprise: a first level indicating grantless access notallowed; a second level indicating grantless access allowed withconstraint; and a third level indicating grantless access allowedwithout constraint.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the constraintcomprises an MCS limit.
 13. The method of claim 9, wherein the receivingthe interference tolerance information comprises receiving theinterference tolerance information in a downlink control channel.
 14. Ascheduling entity in a wireless communication network, comprising: acomputer-readable medium stored with executable code; a communicationinterface configured for wireless communication; and a processoroperatively coupled to the communication interface and computer-readablemedium, wherein the processor is configured by executing the code to:determine interference tolerance information of a plurality of uplinkchannels, wherein the interference tolerance information is configuredto individually indicate an availability of each of the plurality ofuplink channels for grantless uplink data transmission; broadcast theinterference tolerance information to one or more subordinate entities;and receive a grantless uplink data transmission from the one or moresubordinate entities utilizing one or more of the plurality of uplinkchannels according to the interference tolerance information.
 15. Thescheduling entity of claim 14, wherein the interference toleranceinformation is further configured to indicate two or more levels ofdifferent grantless access for the plurality of uplink channels.
 16. Thescheduling entity of claim 15, wherein the two or more levels ofgrantless access comprise: a first level indicating grantless access notallowed; a second level indicating grantless access allowed withconstraint; and a third level indicating grantless access allowedwithout constraint.
 17. The scheduling entity of claim 16, wherein theconstraint comprises a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) limit fortransmitting data through an uplink channel.
 18. The scheduling entityof claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured by executingthe code to: broadcast the interference tolerance information once ormore for a predetermined number of subframes of a control channel. 19.The scheduling entity of claim 14, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured by executing the code to: broadcast the interferencetolerance information at a rate based on a loading of the plurality ofuplink channels.
 20. The scheduling entity of claim 14, wherein theprocessor is further configured by executing the code to: broadcast theinterference tolerance information in a downlink control channel. 21.The scheduling entity of claim 4, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured by executing the code to: determine a loading of a channel ofthe plurality of channels; if the loading is greater than a firstthreshold, set the interference tolerance information of the channel toindicate no grantless access; if the loading is less than the firstthreshold and greater than a second threshold, set the interferencetolerance information of the channel to indicate grantless access with aconstraint; and if the loading is less than the second threshold, setthe interference tolerance information of the channel to indicategrantless access without constraint.
 22. A subordinate entity in awireless communication network, comprising: a computer-readable mediumstored with executable code; a communication interface configured forwireless communication; and a processor operatively coupled to thecommunication interface and computer-readable medium, wherein theprocessor is configured by executing the code to: determine channelqualities of a plurality of uplink channels and corresponding modulationand coding schemes (MCSs) supportable by the channel qualities; receivean interference tolerance information broadcast from a schedulingentity, wherein the interference tolerance information is configured toindividually indicate an availability of each of the plurality of uplinkchannels for grantless data transmission; select an uplink channel amongthe plurality of uplink channels and an MCS among the corresponding MCSsbased on the received interference tolerance information; and transmitgrantless data utilizing the selected uplink channel and MCS.
 23. Thesubordinate entity of claim 22, wherein the interference toleranceinformation is further configured to indicate two or more levels ofdifferent grantless access for each of the plurality of uplink channels.24. The subordinate entity of claim 23, wherein the two or more levelsof grantless access comprise: a first level indicating grantless accessnot allowed; a second level indicating grantless access allowed withconstraint; and a third level indicating grantless access allowedwithout constraint.
 25. The subordinate entity of claim 24, wherein theconstraint comprises an MCS limit.
 26. The subordinate entity of claim22, wherein the processor is further configured by executing the codeto: receive the interference tolerance information in a downlink controlchannel.